Hubble Space Telescope: Goddard high resolution spectrograph instrument handbook. Version 2.1

The Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) is an ultraviolet spectrometer which has been designed to exploit the imaging and pointing capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope. It will obtain observations of astronomical sources with greater spectral, spatial and temporal resolution than has been possible with previous space-based instruments. Data from the GHRS will be applicable to many types of scientific investigations, including studies of the interstellar medium, stellar winds, chromospheres and coronae, the byproducts and endproducts of stellar evolution, planetary atmospheres, comets, and many kinds of extragalactic sources. This handbook is intended to introduce the GHRS to potential users. The main purpose is to provide enough information to explore the feasibility of possible research projects and to plan, propose and execute a set of observations. An overview of the instrument performance, which should allow one to evaluate the suitability of the GHRS to specific projects, and a somewhat more detailed description of the GHRS hardware are given. How observing programs will be carried out, the various operating modes of the instrument, and the specific information about the performance of the instrument needed to plan an observation are discussed

Accountability, Information and Communications Systems (AICS): Washington’s Approach to Accountability Reporting

This article describes AICS, a flexible, multi-purpose, Web-based Accountability, Information and Communications System developed by the College of Agriculture and Home Economics at Washington State University. Made up of more than 200 programs, the system collects, stores and retrieves information from faculty, regardless of appointment and specified staff. AICS’s single, standardized, reporting format supersedes previous annual faculty activity reports, which varied from department to department. The searchable database provides information for a wide variety of reporting needs, including accountability. Developed between 1998 and 1999, the system was implemented at the end of 1999. Ohio State University, Purdue University, Kansas State University and the University of Missouri have since purchased the software to adapt for their use. Kathleen Duncan has conducted workshops for each of these institutions. Ohio state University is currently using the system (http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/ursdevell/accountability/); the systems personnel at the other three universities expect to have the system in use by Fall 2001 (personal communication, April 26, 2001)

Science, Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts Achievement of High School Students in Complete Programs of Agriscience Education

The purpose of this descriptive and comparative study was to describe the academic achievement of FFA (Future Farmers of America) members in a complete program of agriscience at Jackson County Comprehensive High School (JCCHS). A secondary purpose was to compare science, math, social studies, and language arts achievement of senior agriscience students/FFA members to the achievement of all seniors at JCCHS. The findings indicate that senior agriscience students/FFA members had a higher percentage of students achieving at the highest level (Pass Plus) of Language Arts on the GHSGT (Georgia High School Graduation Test) than the remaining student population at JCCHS. Senior agriscience students/FFA members also had a higher passing rate in comparison to all seniors at JCCHS on the social studies portion of the standardized test. The researchers postulate that further research needs to be conducted to identify the correlations between agriscience participation and performance on language arts and social studies standardized tests – areas where little or no research has been conducted. The researchers also recommend that other public school systems perform similar studies to determine the impact of secondary agriscience programs on student performance

Identifying Perceived Professional Development Needs of Idaho Secondary CTE Teachers: Program Management Needs of Skilled and Technical Science Teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived training needs of Idaho secondary skilled and technical science teachers for a set of non-instructional competencies specifically associated with duties related to program management. The population of this study consisted of skilled and technical science teachers employed by Idaho secondary schools for the 2008-09 academic year (N=181). Sixty percent (n=109) of the 181 teachers participated in the study. The findings indicated that the perceived in-service training areas for the program management construct, as identified by a mean weighted discrepancy score (MWDS) ranking, to be grant writing and funding opportunities, developing curriculum-based school-to-work and/or school-to-career activities, and establishing and organizing co-op/internships. Individuals involved with teacher preparation and in-service training can use the findings of this study to inform the development of pre-service curriculum and in-service educational offerings

Cooperating Teachers’ Perceptions of Pedagogical Importance, Competence, and Programmatic Need: A Frontline Assessment of Agricultural Student Teachers

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine, as witnessed by cooperating teachers, what learning gaps student teachers brought to the student teaching experience “Supervision of student teachers during student teaching is a very important exercise in teacher training” (Thobega & Miller, 2008, p. 65)..Cooperating teachers spend 10 plus weeks observing student teachers of agricultural education in [state]. One may argue that the cooperating teacher is the best judge of success when looking at the student teacher. Cooperating teachers believed using computers and multimedia in classroom teaching was a strength student teachers possessed. The cooperating teachers felt that the major weaknesses included conducting parent-teacher conferences and adult programs. The findings of this study also indicate that the pre-service teachers need additional preparation in developing teaching skills in managing student behavior problems, motivating students to learn, teaching students to think critically and creatively, and conducting parent-teacher conferences

PERCEIVED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF IDAHO SECONDARY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived professional development needs of Idaho secondary career and technical education teachers for a set of non-instructional competencies specifically associated with duties related to program management. The population of this study consisted of CTE teachers employed by Idaho secondary schools (N=725). Sixty-one percent (n=446) of the population participated in the study. The findings indicated that the top five perceived in-service training areas for the program management construct, as identified by a mean weighted discrepancy score (MWDS) ranking, to be “Grant writing & funding opportunities”; “Understanding federal (Perkins), state, and local funding”; “Establishing and organizing co-op/internships”; “Developing an effective public relations program”; and “Developing curriculum-based school-to-work and/or school-to-career activities”. Individuals involved with teacher preparation and in-service training can use the findings of this study to inform the development of pre-service curriculum and in-service educational offerings

Examining Differences in Middle School Student Achievement on a State Mandated Examination: Does a Full Year of Agriscience Really Make a Difference?

Early agricultural education programs in the United States existed to promote new methods and techniques to further agricultural production. Today, extending integration, general knowledge, appreciation, and literacy about agriculture is the goal, especially at the middle school level. Not only is agricultural education designed to encompass academics, but science and technology, literacy, and career preparedness are parts of the total agricultural education program. Since the passage of No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), more pressure has been put on teachers to generate increased student academic performance and improvement of test scores. The purpose of this research study was to determine if there were statistically significant differences in academic achievement on a state mandated assessment of students who completed a yearlong middle school agricultural education course and students who completed only an eight week middle school agricultural education course in the same school, with the same instructor; the significance in time spent in the course was the main issue in question. The findings showed a statistically significant relationship between the completion of the year-long agricultural education course and math, science, and social studies scores on the state mandated assessment. For example, both 7th and 8th grade students who completed a year-long brain-based agricultural education course had higher mean scores than students who completed only an eight-week brain-based agricultural education course on the math, science, and social studies portions of the assessment

Experiential Learning for Extension Professionals: A Cross-Cultural Immersion Program

As the U.S. population becomes more diverse, Extension is called upon to modify its programming to meet the needs of its changing constituency. Georgia Extension created a professional development curriculum to assist Extension professionals in crafting effective programming for the rapidly growing Latino population. The study reported here explores qualitatively how Extension professionals in Georgia experienced their Cross-Cultural Immersion Program (CCIP). Through an interview-based study, three themes emerged from the data. Extension participants experienced: (1) diverse familial relations in Latino populations, (2) obstacles during programming, and (3) greater personal over professional gains through the CCIP

Measuring Organization of Large Surficial Clasts in Heterogeneous Gravel Beach Sediments

The natural stratification and interlocking “organization” of armored sediments in heterogeneous, coarse-grained, beaches provides protection and enhances habitat for borrowing sedentary megafauna and macrofauna such as hard-shelled clams. Here, we develop a novel metric for quantifying sediment organization of large surficial beach clasts through sedimentologic and photogrammetric analyses of 37 lower intertidal heterogeneous gravel beaches in western Prince William Sound, Alaska (USA). Grain size, photogrammetric, and Wolman Pebble Count clast-size data from 64, ~1-m2 study plots are combined into a clast-size-independent “Organization Metric” to quantify the degree of organization in the meshed arrangement of larger surficial sediments. This metric was validated through field manipulation experiments and comparisons of adjacent plots characterized by different clast sizes. Application of this metric to subsets of Prince William Sound beaches that underwent differential treatment following the Exxon Valdez oil spill reveals persistent physical effects of artificial beach disturbance even 21 years after the cleanup. This has important implications for beach management (e.g., cleaning or dredging) and for the diverse and productive sedentary megafaunal assemblages that live within these sediments. Overall, this study provides a new approach for quantifying organization of heterogenous coarse sediments in diverse natural settings; in particular, heterogenous gravel beaches